Yas Saffron Pistachios

We usually stop at Yas Bakery on our way to visiting our family in central Virginia. But this time we took a ride over to Yas, located in Vienna, after our morning walk. My husband was in need of some sugar cubes. It seems the grocery store never carries sugar cubes and this is a great option. But we needed to get more than just sugar cubes! One of the items we all like is pistachios. And they have a wide variety of them. I have a bad habit of eating them in the evening as a healthy snack. So we found the saffron pistachios and got a package. And, my husband loves a sort of cookie item that he used to have with his tea after dinner. It reminds him of the old country and he loves them. So we got a package of those. They are just a little sweet and something in between a cookie and cake. We have also gotten Christmas gifts and odd bits for friends and family. It’s nice to have a place like this to visit. The cookies and other treats are also lovely. I’m sure we will be back in short order. 

 

A Visit to Yas

The last time we were in Yas was on Christmas Eve on our way to Lynchburg. We always stop there to pick up some Iranian treats - a wide assortment of cookies and other tasty items. So after lunch today we drove to Vienna and made a stop at Yas. My husband was in need of some sour cherry jelly, a sour relish concoction, small cucumbers and nectarines. I needed a pistachio replenish. Of course we also picked up some cookies, but not the usual amount. On the way out we saw one of our favorite appetizers in a bunch of containers - made of eggplant, garlic, and onion. So we picked one up to have with the leftover pizza and tiny meatballs we had at Cafe Assagi’s for lunch. You could say it was a very ethnic day again - Italian and Iranian. The other day it was Iranian and Turkish. We were searching for a Persian carpet that lead us on a wild goose chase and then stopped at Kazan for lunch. We spent a lot of time in this neighborhood before we moved to Virginia a few weeks ago. The best part is now it takes us half the time to get back home. Capitol Hill is ten miles further. Now we go just when we feel like it and make sure it’s not during rush hour, baseball games, and other traffic jammed events. 

Bebe Gol Persian Market

We usually go to Yas in Vienna to get Persian goodies. My husband loves the cookie selection, and also the sour cherry jellies and torshi - a marinated vegetable mix. We always get a bunch of things to take with us on our way to visit our family in Virginia. Whenever we go to Yekta in Rockville for lunch or dinner, we oftentimes stop in the Market next door for the same things. When we get Moby Dick take out in Arlington, my husband always stops by the cookie counter at the market on the way out. Last week we had our usual breakfast in McLean family restaurant and noticed there was another Persian Market that just opened in town. It’s called Bebe Gol Market. We didn’t stop in then, but decided to go in today to take a look. It appeared brand new and not quite fully stocked. The owner was bold and gracious and my husband chatted with her a bit. A couple of people came in while we were there. We ended up getting the same things we usually do at all the Persian markets but this time we got unsalted pistachios too. I’m always on the look out for Polish markets. They are few and far in between - and there are no restaurants anywhere. In the Midwest we enjoyed both Persian and polish cuisine. So it’s nice to know there is another place to appease the sweet tooth. And we are in that neighborhood every week. (Photo of Shop from the Tyson’s Reporter on the internet) 

Wonderful Pistachios - Unsalted

When you have high blood pressure and borderline cholesterol readings, you do try to manage a reasonably healthy diet. And I try to! But sometimes finding the exact item is tricky. Both my husband and I like pistachios. They come in all types, but mostly salted, spiced, and lightly salted. It’s really hard to find unsalted - although I much prefer the salty taste! And we prefer the shelled type rather than just the nut. Every time we go to the grocery store we look for them to no avail. Even the lightly salted ones are hard to come by. So, as everyone else does, I checked on Amazon to see what I could find and there they were. So I ordered up four of the one pound bags. I really don’t think it’s necessarily heart healthy, but it sounds good. It seems weird to get a package in the mail for this sort of thing and it came all the way from California. Hopefully the supply will last awhile. But at least now I know I can get my hands on it. 

Unsalted Pistachios

Both my husband and I like postachios. I think everyone likes postachios. And now there are all kinds of flavored varieties to pick from. We usually had the usual roasted and salted type in our house - and they always had to be the kind you have to peel. I suppose you could say that makes them all the more tasty because you need to work at it first. Then my husband found some even more tasty versions - salt and pepper and sweet chili - among others. We could sit there and polish off a whole bag if one of us didn't have a bit of self control! But after getting blood work back about a month ago, we decided we needed to tweek MY treats somewhat. Mind you, it's always me that has to do the tweeking. So rather than do without them completely, we get the roasted UNSALTED postachios for me, while my husband continues to eat whatever he wants. And my weekly popcorn has been totally discontinued. Sometimes I wonder if any of this matters anyway? Since it is difficult for me to tolerate a lot of the statin medications, I need to cut back in other ways. I know it could be a lot worse. But have you ever tried a flavored and salted pistachio? 

Pistachios - So Many Choices!

I'm not sure I believe it when something is labelled "heart healthy," but it sounds good if I really like how it tastes. And so goes the pistachio. Up to this point dry roasted peanuts were my favorites. But my husband started bringing home not just the plain pistachios, but the pepper flavored, as well as salted. It seems like there is more shell than nut, but it's well worth the hassle to break them open. My only concern is irritating my TMJs. After all, it was a kernel of popcorn that threw my jaw out of whack over thirty years ago. That damage required bilateral joint surgery which continues to haunt me here and there. Luckily the pistachio is a bit soft, so it's "safer" to chew, but very carefully. Now I need to get my hands on some of the even more tastier flavors. Jalapeño anyone!?